A man in Singapore transferred S$3,999 to a woman he met on TikTok to “rescue” her after she claimed she was being held hostage at an Amoy Street shophouse and on the brink of being sold off to be a prostitute.
The man subsequently realised he had been duped and the whole ruse was just a scam.
What happened
Shin Min Daily News reported that the man, surnamed Lin (transliterated), was watching TikTok videos on Dec. 16 when a woman supposedly from Guangdong, China messaged him.
The 49-year-old air conditioning technician said the woman claimed that she had fallen prey to an investment scam and lost S$20,000 three months after arriving in Singapore.
She further claimed that she was held hostage as she was unable to make repayment.
Suspicions
Lin said that while he initially had his suspicions, the woman called him on the day they connected online, and she cried as she said she would be forced into prostitution if she failed to pay up.
He added that even though they did not chat for long, he was convinced as the woman cried a lot.
Lin repeatedly requested to have a video call with the woman, Shin Min reported, but the other party rejected his requests, claiming that the person holding her hostage did not allow her to do so.
Video call
According to Lin, he initially chatted with the woman on TikTok before switching to WhatsApp, after which he realised the woman was using a Hong Kong number.
When he asked her about it, she claimed to be from Guangdong and came to Singapore via Hong Kong.
Throughout their correspondence, the woman refused to send Lin pictures of herself and did not agree to a video call until Dec. 19.
During the call, the woman wore a facial mask, said Lin, adding that the call lasted less than a minute before she quickly hung up.
Girlfriend
Lin said that when they first started talking, he was on his guard and did not make any promises when the woman asked him to pay her debt.
He added that the woman called him “dear” and even promised to be his girlfriend if he paid her debt.
After chatting until Dec. 20, the woman’s “boss” sent Lin an Amoy Street address and said Lin could take the woman away after paying her debt.
The address turned out to be a two-storey shophouse, said Lin, adding that there was a a locked metal door on the first floor.
Transferred money
However, after Lin transferred S$1,000, he was told that the woman could not be released as it was too late.
On Dec. 22, the woman asked Lin for help again and he transferred S$2,999.
After transferring the money, the woman’s “boss” asked Lin for another S$3,000 for rent.
It was only then that Lin realised he had been scammed and decided to make a police report.
In response to Shin Min’s queries, the police confirmed a report was lodged.
Restaurant address
Upon visiting Amoy Street, Shin Min discovered that the address where the woman claimed to be held hostage turned out to be a restaurant.
However, the person in charge said the restaurant would not be pursuing the matter as they were not aware of the scam and were not affected by it.
Previously scammed
Prior to this scam, Lin revealed that he was previously scammed while using Facebook.
Seven years ago, he made donations after seeing a post about Thai deities where one could light lamps to pray for blessings.
However, he felt he had been scammed after being asked for more money, but did not make a police report as his donation was less than S$1,000.
After that experience, he stopped using social media two years ago.
He only started using TikTok after a friend recommended him to do so.
Following this incident, Lin gradually cut down his social media usage to avoid being scammed, he said, adding that he deleted all his social media accounts.
“I only watch television or YouTube and only downloaded TikTok after a friend said everyone was using it,” he said, adding that he never expected to get scammed.
Top photos via Shin Min Daily News
